In the telecommunication industry, it is common practice to locate electrical and electronic hardware devices and equipment outdoors. Generally, the devices and equipment are located in an accessible outdoor enclosure to protect them from electromagnetic radiation, and other environmental conditions such as, for example, rain, snow, hail, wind, sun, and other types of inclement or adverse weather conditions. To accomplish this objective, these enclosures may be formed in a variety of shapes and may be made from a variety of materials such as, for example, metal, polymer, plastic, ceramic, glass, crystal, and/or combinations thereof.
When it is necessary to perform service on the electrical and/or electronic devices contained in the outdoor enclosure, technicians must provide the service at the site in which the enclosure is located. Thus, when service is required during inclement weather, a chance exists that any electrical equipment and/or electronic hardware devices located in the outdoor enclosure will be adversely affected by inclement weather conditions such as, for example, rain, snow, hail, windblown dust or dirt, etc. In addition, the technician, who is servicing the device and/or equipment, also needs to be protected from such adverse weather conditions.
Therefore, when the technician is servicing the electrical and/or electronic hardware devices and equipment contained in the outdoor enclosure during equipment upgrades, testing, maintenance, service outage problems, and/or other service requirements, the technician and the electrical devices and equipment must be protected to prevent them from becoming adversely affected by adverse weather conditions. In addition, the devices and equipment must be protected to prevent them from degrading over time. Failure to limit the electrical and/or electronic hardware devices and equipment to weather exposure can result in increased labor and equipment costs attributable to more frequent repairs and replacement of the electrical equipment and/or electronic hardware devices located in the enclosure than would otherwise be necessary.